National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims

re-mem-brance (ri-mem-‘br-ens)noun.

the act or process of remembering

the state of being remembered

Today (Nov. 21) is National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims in Canada– a day set aside to remember those killed or seriously injured on Canadian roads. It’s also a time to consider the victims’ friends and families who are left struggling with the sudden loss of people they love.

We choose not to use the word “accident” because these crashes are more often than not avoidable. Our number one priority here at the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure is to help people travel safely. Campaigns such as Shift into Winter and Cone Zone BC highlight the responsibilities we take on whenever we get behind the wheel. And our traveller information system, DriveBC, provides valuable insight into road conditions and events, so you can make educated decisions about travelling.

Now, road safety education is definitely valuable. But perhaps more impactful is hearing the personal stories of those who have experienced, and still experience, the grief associated with losing a loved one in a vehicle collision. There is the opportunity to gather in remembrance in Kelowna today as part of the One Crash is Too Many Campaign. >> Event Details

Alcohol, drugs, speeding, driver distraction, not driving to conditions, fatigue and failure to buckle up are key contributing factors in collisions.

Road safety is a shared responsibility and each of us can take action to make our roads safer.

A couple of reminders for safe driving:

Using a handheld device while driving is against the law in British Columbia, so please LEAVE THE PHONE ALONE on the road; your primary focus while behind the wheel should always be on what is ahead of you.

Driving while under the influence is, as always, strictly prohibited by law and under enforcement.

2 Responses to National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims

Very important and necessary information, thank you.
As I DO drive the speed limit or adjust speed to adverse conditions, most other drivers hate me for it! Nevertheless, safe driving has given me 40 years of accident-free driving – and providing me time and room to compensate for other drivers’ negligence.
Just a suggestion: it would be lovely to have the weather forecast broken down for each of the more dangerous roads, and have it directly accessible right by the cams, so one can plan better on when to travel.
Weirdly, Norway Meteorology has such a wonderful breakdown of BC’s weather in hourly increments: http://www.yr.no and put in for instance “Coquihalla Summit, BC, Canada”
Blessings, Ronel